On Mooney today...

We speak to the American student who fooled people into thinking he was a rich and famous celebrity, Brenda Donohue joins residents from Limerick on a special day out, and we’re looking for three players for our weekly quiz! The prize is a fabulous five-day break, in one of the Courtyard Lodges or Woodland Villas at Parknasilla Resort & Spa on the Ring of Kerry, for between 2-6 people!

Lisa Fitzpatrick

Lisa Fitzpatrick is one of Ireland’s most loved fashion stylists who’s also a radio and television broadcaster.

Viewers may know her from TV3’s Ireland AM and over the summer she’s been charming audiences in the UK with her style segments on ITV’s This Morning hosted by Irishman Eamonn Holmes and his wife Ruth Langsford.

She joins Derek in studio today to chat relationships, parenting and appearing on This Morning!

Famous For Not Being Famous

When Andy Warhol predicted in 1968 that, in the future, everybody would be famous for 15 minutes, he certainly got it right.

But even he could not have foreseen the lengths to which people would be prepared to go to achieve fame, and that often it would be regardless of talent or ability – just the pursuit of fame for fame’s sake.

For many, what really matters is that when you achieve celebrity status, the world and how the people in it treats you - it changes.

A 21-year-old New Yorker recently carried out his own celebritology experiment:

And fall for it they did:

The whole thing was recorded and the YouTube film has gone viral, and "Fake" celebrity Brett Cohen joins Derek on the line from New York City today!

Mooney's Tuesday Quiz

It’s a FIVE-NIGHT stay for you and FIVE of your friends in a self-catering Woodland Villa or Courtyard Lodge at Parknasilla Resort & Spa in Sneem, Co. Kerry!

Think of all the fun you can have! You can make it a family holiday or maybe just invite your mates?!

Parknasilla is located on the Ring of Kerry and, while there you can enjoy the 12-hole ocean-side golf course, two tennis courts, 500 acres of walks and trails – or maybe avail of the nearby hotel’s facilities like a swim or a visit to The Spa and be pampered with views of Kenmare Bay.

Your prize is based on up to 6 people sharing a 3-bedroomed-villa and includes a Welcome Hamper of goodies from the Parknasilla Kitchen and a fridge filled with chilled treats. It must be used before October 24th.

Hedgerows: It is an offence to 'cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy hedgerows on uncultivated land during the nesting season from 1 March to 31 August, subject to certain exceptions'. For more information, click here.

UPDATE: February 29th 2016 - Press Release From BirdWatch Ireland:

Putting the record straight: Dates for burning and hedge-cutting have NOT changed

BirdWatch Ireland, Ireland’s largest conservation charity, is very concerned about misinformation that is currently circulating regarding the dates within which the burning of vegetation and cutting of hedges is permitted. It would like to remind landowners that all burning and cutting must cease on 29th February this year and that burning and cutting remains prohibited from 1st March to 31st August.

Despite attempts by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys T.D., to change the laws regulating these dates by introducing the Heritage Bill 2016 earlier this year, it is important to note that the proposed date changes were ultimately NOT made. This is because the bill failed to pass through both houses of the Oireachtas before the recent dissolution of the Dáil in advance of the general election.

The laws in place governing the dates for hedge-cutting and upland burning therefore remain unchanged. The period within which cutting and burning is prohibited are set down in Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 (as amended in 2000), which states that:

(a) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated.
(b) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection (above).

The existing law provides exemptions for road safety and other circumstances and should be read carefully to ensure compliance.

Section 40 of the Wildlife Act exists to protect nesting birds. Many of our upland bird species are in decline and are in danger of extinction in Ireland; amongst them is the Curlew, which has declined by 80%. Many birds which nest in hedgerows into August are also in serious decline, including the endangered Yellowhammer. The changes to the cutting and burning dates which had been proposed in the now-defunct Heritage Bill 2016 would have caused serious impacts to these birds. A petition launched by BirdWatch Ireland in conjunction with several other national conservation organisations to stop these changes attracted more than 16,200 signatures and rising.

BirdWatch Ireland would also like to advise members of the public that if they see hedges being cut or fires in the uplands on or after 1st March, such activity could be illegal. In such cases, we would encourage people to contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service (www.npws.ie) to report such activity.

BirdWatch Ireland warmly welcomes the demise of the Heritage Bill 2016 and sincerely hopes that any future administration will consider the importance of Ireland’s natural heritage and will not attempt to reintroduce such a flawed and damaging piece of legislation.

RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster.RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Images courtesy of Inpho.ie and Getty Images.